Casco is a town of just under 4000 in the southern tip of Maine. They are one of those places who can trace their history back to the 1700’s and are best known now for it’s community fair in the summer known as “Casco Days”.
To orient you further, I would like to point out that they are about a 3 hour drive from both Beaver Deceivers Int’l and Beaver Solutions. Which of course is why I was very interested to read this:
Casco battles beavers plugging up culverts
CASCO — The town has been busy as a beaver trying to outwit the beavers that have been culprits when it comes to culverts. It seems once a beaver sets its sights on a spot that would make a nice home, it is an 
ongoing skirmish around the culverts.
The town’s culverts often get converted into beaver dams, according to Casco Town Manager Dave Morton.
While live-trapping is an option to relocate a troublesome family of beavers, the real cost comes from paying a heavy equipment operator to remove the debris and open up the water flow through a culvert, he said.
“A beaver can plug it back up in 2½ days.
“We trap them. Earlier in the year, we live-trap them. The traps are large; and we have to not put them anywhere children could get near. They are large clam shell traps,” he said.
I’m just guessing here, but I don’t think they ‘live trap’ because of any devotion to the beavers or hesitation to do them harm. I think it’s a seasonal thing.
The town’s approach is to live-trap the beavers or put out the word during the state’s beaver trapping season, Morton said
Okay, so you’ll get rid of these beavers by hook or by crook. And you’ve dealt with this kind of problem before. Just out of curiosity, how often does it happen?
“About every second or third year, they plug the culvert between Pleasant Lake and Parker Pond,” Morton said, adding that was an issue this summer.We have three around Point Sebago Road. Usually, there’s some on Leach Hill Road,” adding the later spot was beaver-free this summer.
Wow, You’re right. This does happen a lot. I’m just curious. How much does something like that cost you to handle?
Morton said, “They are fun for people to look at. But, it’s extremely expensive when they plug the culvert.”
Plummer said the reason he asked about the plugged culverts is that the town “spent considerable money on replacing and sleeving the culverts. I am just trying to protect our investment.”
Plummer asked for a cost estimate associated with the beaver dam battle. “We have used an excavator or a logging truck. For an excavator to be there for an hour is about $600. And a logging truck is less, about $200,” Morton said.
Hmm. So this happens every couple of years in more than one location all over the town and you have to pay for couple hours rental of an excavator just to clean it out? And you mean to tell me no one has sat you down to talk about saving money by installing culvert protection?
Huh. Something tells me that’s going to change very soon. Call it a hunch.
